Attention, Aspiring Beer Writers!

By 2014, 30 states will be the subjects of beer guides for the thirsty traveler. Those that have been covered only in regional guidebooks (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia) may merit stand-alone coverage sooner or later. But what of the other 20 states?

Kyle Weaver, acquisitions editor at Stackpole Books, lists the questions he asks before adding a state to his publication wish list: “Is there a culture of beer? Are there breweries that are well known, not only in their state, but across the country? Are there a significant number of them? Are they regularly written about? Is there a guild that connects the brewers?” He also cautions that book sales in general are weak in some states.

To this we might add for consideration state laws that help or hinder the development of a thriving beer industry and evidence of interest, such as festivals or enthusiastic homebrew clubs. Add all these factors together, and some of these states deserve writerly attention.

Alabama: only 11 breweries. The grassroots group Free The Hops successfully raised the ABV cap on beer to 13.9 percent. Twenty-five dry counties. The only state where homebrewing is still illegal, though a bill to allow it is under consideration—again.

Arizona: 47 breweries, a number of festivals and lots of tourism. States with fewer breweries have built a successful beer touring industry.

Arkansas: Only 10 breweries. First Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival held in 2012.

Georgia: 25 breweries, including Terrapin and SweetWater, which are well-known beyond the state. The grassroots group Georgians for World Class Beer successfully raised the ABV cap on beer to 14 percent, allowing a healthy diversity of styles.